Digital Commons Network^™

A Case Study Of The State University, Extension, And The College Of Agriculture As They Explore And Implement A Metro Research And Outreach Initiative, Deno Deciantis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The national Cooperative Extension and Land Grant University Systems have been struggling with their future direction due to the question of relevance related to urban and metropolitan citizens for a great number of years. This system is quite traditional in that it follows the customary rural, production agriculture focus with an overwhelming percentage of its resources aimed at those efforts. At the State University, like most other traditional land grant institutions, there has been an inner systemic struggle regarding programming to urban areas. This institution was able to establish a metro initiative in one of the state's major cities. Its …

The Lived Experiences Of Evangelical Christian Men Who Self-Identify As Sexual Addicts, Kailla Edger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Issues of sexual addiction have swept the evangelical movement, and ongoing concerns in the evangelical community are evidenced by its self-help literature, men's movements, and sex manuals. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the lived experiences of evangelical Christian men who self-identify as sexual addicts. This qualitative method was existential-phenomenological and focused on the lived experiences of this population. Individual interviews and follow-up individual interviews of six self-identified evangelical male sexual addicts were analyzed. The results of the study indicated that the male evangelical self-identified sexual addict lives through compartmentalized worlds: the religious or spiritual world, the committed …

Selective Lesion Of Cholinergic Neurons Of The Septal-Hippocampal Tract: Memory And Learning, Nicholas Fitz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is hypothesized that the loss of cholinergic function in the medial septum (MS), observed early in many forms of dementia, contributes to memory losses characterized in these diseases. The studies of this dissertation examined whether the selective loss of cholinergic neurons in the MS impairs acquisition of a delayed matching-to-position (DMP) spatial memory task. The results suggest a significant contribution of MS cholinergic neurons in acquisition of the DMP task. Specifically, 192 IgG-saporin SAP lesioned rats acquired the task at a slower rate and required more days to reach criterion. The results also suggest that male rats typically adopt …

Public School Board Governance Practices In Western Pennsylvania And Ayp Scores; Is There A Relationship?, Kyle William Foust

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated what, if any, relationship exists between school board governance practices and student achievement as demonstrated by a school district's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) scores in both math and reading for 2007-2008 school year. To measure the effectiveness of governance practices, a survey created by Thomas Holland and adapted by Richard Smoley (1999), which empirically assesses the performance of school boards, was administered to members of the following types of public school boards: urban, suburban, rural, and charter. Smoley's survey measures six dimensions of effectiveness: Decision Making, Functioning as a Group, Exercising Authority, Connecting to the Community, Working …

Rage From Within The Machine: Protest Music, Social Justice, And Educational Reform, A Collective Case Study, John A. Giancola Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School reform initiatives in the United States have been occurring since the launching of Sputnik by the U.S.S.R. in 1957. These efforts have largely been internal, within school reforms, with little consideration given to external variables such as poverty that affect student achievement. Given the pervasive link between poverty and student achievement, the author argues for an expanded leadership lens which includes social justice. In an effort to learn more about social justice, three socially conscious activist musicians/groups were studied in a qualitative collective case study. The formative influences of the artists were analyzed. The activist activity of the bands …

Roses That Grew From The Concrete: A Critical Investigation Of The Intersection Of Race And Gender On The Lived Experiences Of African American Male Senior Student Affairs Officers At Predominately White Institutions, Rahmon S. Hart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite past efforts to address the racial disparities that exist in the higher education workforce, African American male Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAOs) are dramatically underrepresented at predominately White institutions of higher education (PWIs). The lived experiences of this unique group of African Americans have been ignored in the empirical literature. The main research question that guided this study was the following: How does the intersection of race and gender influence the experiences of African American male SSAOs at PWIs? A particular focus of this research was to gain a better understanding of how African American male SSAOs experience and …

Counselor Trainee Perceived Supervisory Effectiveness: An Investigation Of Counselor Trainee Cognitive Style And Supervisor Supervisory Style, Melinda Jean Heher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Supervision during practicum and internship is crucial to the continued professional development and growth of the novice counselor. As counselor trainees are immersed in their field placement sites, they rely on their field site supervisors for guidance and continued training as aspiring counselors. It is imperative that a positive interpersonal supervisory relationship sets the foundation for successful supervision and training. Among the many personality variables that influence the interpersonal relationship and dynamics of supervision, cognitive style has been scarce in the counselor education and supervision literature. In addition to cognitive style, the supervisor's supervisory style influences the interpersonal supervisory relationship. …

Imag(In)Ing Neuro-Psychology: A Multi-Perspectival, Critical, Autoethnographic Study, Kristen Hennessy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neuropsychology in the United States initially strove to diagnose brain damage. Recently, this diagnostic task has been largely usurped by the emergence of neuroimaging. Despite the encroachment upon the traditional territory of neuropsychology, neuropsychology has continued relatively unchanged. Personally encountering neuropsychology from the multiple positions of patient, family member, and training professional, I wondered about the forces operating that prevented neuropsychology from evolving. I speculated that unseen forces operated to keep neuropsychology stagnant and that the neuropsychologist's function was largely unarticulated. I further speculated that the hidden functions involved very particular (problematic) relationships. This dissertation aims to begin to highlight …

From Forfeited Agency To Communities Of Hope: Reinventing Ethos Through Narratives Of Remembering And Forgetting, Linda Janus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

If an offender's credibility is the first and last victim of an offense, by what communication processes may credibility be recovered by the offender, and with what responsibility from the victim to the process? What responsibilities do other stakeholders have to the offender in defense of the common narrative? Based on phenomenological reflection for stakeholder ethics that requires a quadraic dialogue framed in the topics of harms and rights, but also the reluctant testimony of benefits and responsibilities credited to the offense, each stakeholder in the event becomes culpable to it, responsibility not necessarily for the prologue to violence, but …

The Identification And Characterization Of Estrogen Receptors In The Mouse And Human Lens And Their Role In Cataract Development, Mary Rachel Kirker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increased risk of age-related cataracts in postmenopausal women and studies in animal models suggest that estrogen may have a protective role in the lens. However, very little is known regarding the role of estrogen and its receptors in the lens. To begin unraveling the estrogen signaling mechanism in the lens, the following aims were investigated: 1) to determine if estrogen receptors are expressed in the lens, [125I]-17beta-estradiol binding and mRNA expression of ERalpha, ERbeta, and GPR30 were examined in the mouse and human lens; 2) to determine if the loss of ERalpha and/or ERbeta receptors will induce spontaneous development …

The Lived-Experiences Of Clinical Supervisors In Rural Mental Health Settings, Lauren Kuhn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Supervision is an essential component to the counseling field and is a distinct intervention (Bernard & Goodyear, 2004). The primary purpose of supervision is to enhance a counselor's professional development and ensure client welfare. The role of a supervisor carries a tremendous amount of professional, ethical, and legal responsibilities. Therefore, supervisors require specific training, skills, and knowledge related to the provision of mental health services in rural areas in order to provide quality supervision services. The intent of this study is to provide a rich description of the supervisor's experience of supervision in the rural context and its effect on …

A School For Our Children: A Case Study Of A School Closing The Student Achievement Gap, Monica Diane Lamar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the student achievement gap from the perspective of a school closing the student achievement gap. The intent of the dissertation was to discover or identify factors as to how an elementary school eliminates the student achievement gap as delineated by accelerative factors theory (AFT). In addition, the student achievement gap is an educational problem that emphasizes race. Critical race theory (CRT) was utilized to view how race and racism was situated in the school. These methodologies were chosen specifically to garner critical information of the efforts utilized by the parents, teachers and administrators to close the student …

Use Of The Electronic Health Record In Private Medical Practices, Archish Maharaja

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the use of the electronic health record (EHR) by physicians in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Five research questions were designed to inquire about the physician practice characteristics and its relationship to the EHR deployment, the importance of educational intervention in the EHR adoption, and the physician's belief if the EHR contributes to improvements in the quality of patient care and practice productivity and profitability. A survey of The Use of Electronic Health Records by Medical Practices was used to collect 169 physician responses from the two counties. This survey …

An "Island" Study Abroad Program And Its Impact On The Intercultural Sensitivity And Cross-Cultural Adaptability Of Its Participants: Perspectives From A Research Intensive University, Gita Maharaja

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Globalization touches every sphere of our modern lives, and it has become more critical than ever that today's generation gains an understanding of other cultures and develops the ability to adapt to ever-changing environments. One important way that higher education has attempted to prepare students for these challenges is to offer study abroad programs, in which students are given the opportunity for educational experiences in other countries.

Traditionally, study abroad programs have involved immersion in the host culture, with particular emphasis on using and learning the native language. However, other types of program designed to make the experience of living …

Examining The Association Between Depressive Symptoms And Performance On Executive Function Measures In Children, Hillary A. Mangis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A variety of cognitive deficits have been linked to depression. In particular, data exists to suggest that persons with depression are subject to poorer executive function compared to normal controls. Establishing the connection between depression and impaired executive function is particularly important in childhood as a child's daily functioning, including social interactions and academic performance, may be impacted. The purpose of this study was to explore if children with significant symptoms of depression displayed deficits on tasks designed to measure the executive functions of attentional control, information processing and cognitive flexibility (Anderson, 2002) compared to a clinical control group. A …

Substantive Representation Of Women And Its Consequences: The Passage Of A Gender-Based-Violence Law In Rwanda, Joan Marshall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

How can the increased political participation of traditionally excluded groups, particularly women, impact policymaking on issues that affect those groups? Using the passage of legislation on gender-based violence (GBV) in Rwanda as a case study, this thesis examines how increased women's "descriptive representation" can lead to "substantive representation" in the context of a political and social environment supportive of women's political inclusion. In addition to the increased political presence of women in parliament as a result of the gender-quota laws, the support of an executive government committed to the political inclusion of women and expansion of women's rights and an …

Retrospective Analysis Of A Breast Health Program On Routine Annual Mammography In Low-Income, Uninsured Women, Theresa Morrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Problem: Detection of breast cancer in women of low socioeconomic status, lacking health insurance, can be improved by increasing annual mammography rates, yet little is known about their screening behavior.

Purpose: A retrospective subject-controlled study of an ongoing Breast Health Program, at a not-for-profit, non-government assisted, volunteer clinic, was undertaken to examine mammography usage and discovery variables.

Design and Methods: English and Spanish speaking women 40 years old and over who viewed in a 7-minute breast health DVD and were offered free mammography were eligible for the study (N= 223). The Health Belief Model (HBM) (Becker, 1974) provided the study …

Employability Skill Acquisition Of Career And Technical Education Students, Michele Marie Orner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the acquisition of employability skills of Cooperative Education students participating in an employability skills training program with those students who chose not to participate in Cooperative Education at the Franklin County Career and Technology Center in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Additionally, the study described the factors that affected employability skill acquisition, specifically gender, career major, grade point average, and post graduation plans. Employer and student perceptions of acquisition of employability skills were also described. While a considerable amount of information has been written about workplace skills that warrant employability success, little has …

The Effects Of A Discourse Community Model On Promoting Intentional Conceptual Change To Increase Understanding Of School Climate And Its Importance, David Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Framed within intentional conceptual change theory, this study looked at the effects of a discourse community model on promoting intentional conceptual change to increase understanding of school climate and its importance. A highly-motivated group of 11 teachers from one elementary school participated in this discourse community designed to promote an intentional conceptual change regarding school climate. Initial interviews, artifact collection, and journal responses were the methods of data collection. Within the discourse community setting, the teachers interacted with a series of activities and discussions to construct new knowledge pertaining to school climate. Themes and patterns of climate understanding emerged and …

The Efficacy Of Treating Adolescent Depression With Interpersonal Psychotherapy For Adolescents(Ipt-A) In The School Setting, Steven Pasquinelli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Depression affects the lives of an estimated 2 to 8% of adolescents in the United States. This disturbance of mood impacts many facets of the individual's life, including the ability to participate in and benefit from educational experiences. School psychologists are challenged to find effective treatments for adolescents experiencing depression that can be delivered in a school setting. Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (IPT-A; Mufson, Dorta, Moreau, & Weissman, 2004) has been found effective for adolescents in clinical settings as well as in urban, school-based clinics. Its use as an efficacious treatment with adolescent students in a traditional public school setting …

Bringing The Real World Into The Classroom: Career Change Business Educators And The Pedagogies Of Engagement, Bonnie Pazin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the influences of prior work experience in the classroom of career change secondary business educators. The 21st century workforce is rapidly evolving due to increases in innovative technology and global competition. Educators are expected to prepare a digital generation of students to face the challenges that lie ahead as they transition into this new workforce. To meet the needs of this new generation, teachers are increasingly being expected to teach 21st century skills that include technology literacy, collaboration, and communication. High attrition rates and an increasing teacher demand continue to be …

Problem Definition And Hypothesis Generation By Recent Family Nurse Practitioner Graduates, Kerry Risco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about the effect of problem definition on hypothesis-generation accuracy in recent family nurse practitioner (FNP) graduates. The hypotheticodeductive-reasoning model served as the theoretical framework for the study. An alternating-treatment single-subject experimental design was used to examine the effects of problem definition on 8 recent FNP graduates' ability to generate hypotheses to diagnose patient problems. Diagnostic-reasoning software provided web-delivered simulated-patient scenarios that described patient problems that were either ill defined or well defined. The independent variable was problem definition (ill-defined versus well-defined problems). The dependent variables were accuracy of the final diagnosis, the total number of diagnostic hypotheses …

The Relationship Between Spirituality And Authentic Leadership Behaviors Of Public School Superintendents, Allen M. Sell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As leaders try to affect change and success in organizations the need to consider spirituality in leadership is clear. The increased need for strong leaders in public schools to meet increased accountability to the tax payer has led to extensive research into the variables that contribute to excellent leadership. This assertion may be especially interesting when considering the role of spirituality in public school leadership. This study proposed to identify a relationship between self perceived spirituality and both self and subordinate perceived authentic leadership behaviors in public school leaders.

Thirty superintendents in Western and Central Pennsylvania were given the Spiritual-Well-Being …

Examination Of The Reliability And Validity Of The Triage Assessment Form: Families, Leslie Slagel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the reliability and validity of the Triage Assessment Form: Families (TAF: F), a 33-item, 5-point Lickert summated rating scale. The study consisted of 152 college and technical school students. Each participant responded to the TAF: F after reading mild, moderate, marked and severe domestic violence scenarios. Statistical analysis using SPSS 12.0 was performed on the data to determine validity and reliability. Reliability was tested using an internal consistency model. Validity of the TAF: F was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis. In addition, this researched analyzed the capacity of the TAF: F to distinguish among mild, moderate, marked, …

What Is The Relationship Between Quality Of Life And Coping Strategies Of Adults With Celiac Disease Adhering To A Gluten Free Diet?, Melissa Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Until recently, celiac disease was thought to be rare in the United States. However over the past ten years, the reported prevalence has increased from 1 in 4600 persons to 1 in 133 persons. The latest estimate makes the prevalence comparable to the prevalence in Europe, where the disease is considered to be common.

Celiac disease is a chronic illness occurring in genetically susceptible persons resulting in inflammatory changes in the upper small bowel as a consequence of intolerance to the gliadin in ingested wheat, rye, and barley. Fortunately, celiac disease can be effectively managed by strict adherence to a …

Aesthetics In The Ecotheology Of Sallie Mcfague: A Critique And A Proposal For A Theological Aesthetics Of Nature, Mary-Paula Cancienne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the ecological theology of Sallie McFague, who, as part of her work, employs the use of aesthetics. This study recognizes her contribution and then seeks to build upon it.
In aim of this goal, a limited history of aesthetics in the Western tradition is surveyed and attention is given to three significant contemporary scholars in the field of aesthetics and nature/environment (Emily Brady, Allen Carlson, and Arnold Berleant). While this work intended to propose the rudiments of a Theological Aesthetics of Nature, we find that nature and culture are so intertwined that what is initially called …

Principal Perspectives Toward Parental Involvement In Pennsylvania Public High Schools, Hollis Batista

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, school systems have used their personnel, curricular, and fiscal resources to improve student performance. Faculty members in nearly every school have participated on committees focused on preparing school improvement plans to address the needs of their specific student populations. Nearly all have included a parent involvement component. The quality of design and implementation of annual school improvement plans has varied both across and within schools. The component that is more often "hoped for" than actualized has been parent involvement (Blank & Kershaw, 2001; Epstein, 2004). Rarely has the involvement of the community extended beyond fiscal support or the involvement …

Perceptions Of Marital Satisfaction Among Coptic Orthodox Christian Egyptian-American Husbands And Wives, Monir Fuad Nazir Atta-Alla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to Christianity, marriage was founded by God the Creator as a sacred relationship between a man, a husband, and a woman,a wife.Marriage in the Coptic Orthodox Church is a sacrament.Coptic Orthodox Christians are allowed to marry one spouse. Coptic Orthodox Christian husbands and wives have the right to divorce only in the case of evidenced adultery or apostasy. This qualitative study is the first of its kind to consider marital satisfaction among Coptic Orthodox Christian Egyptian-Americans.

The study analyzed the relevant constructed meanings that emerged from all interviews and clustered them into five main themes in an attempt to …

An Examination Of Racial Differences In Anxiety Disorder Symptom Structure And Trajectories Among Pre-Adolescent Female Youth, Cynthia Altman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although the experience of anxiety among children and adolescents is well documented in the literature, relatively little empirical study has focused on this topic. Existing research is essentially void of studies into gender-specific aspects of anxiety development and maintenance or race-based differences in anxiety symptomatology. The current study sought to fill this gap by examining racial differences in anxiety disorder symptom structure and trajectories among pre-adolescent female youth. Symptom structure was examined among a sample of 570 girls (252 European American, 318 African American) who completed the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) at nine years of age …

Engineering The Mosquito Symbiont Pantoea Agglomerans To Secrete Anti-Plasmodium Inhibitory Proteins, Dawn C. Bisi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The disease malaria originates from the transmission of the parasite Plasmodium to humans by female anopheline mosquitoes. Estimates put the number of deaths at 1-3 million people annually and this number will increase without the establishment of new control strategies. There is currently no vaccine and the effectiveness of insecticides and drugs are thwarted by the gain of resistances for both the insect and parasite. An alternative genetic engineering approach to combating malaria is presented here. The bacterial mosquito symbiont Pantoea agglomerans, which resides in the mosquito gut, was chosen to express anti-Plasmodium effector gene products that are known to …